Qantas flies twice a day over Iraq on its path between Dubai and London.

Mr Sheldon says there should be enforceable regulations to ensure people are not flying over war zones.

“At the moment they don’t exist,” he said.

“All the international bodies, all the airlines, (and) the Australian government have made it clear that they will not make it compulsory for people to (avoid flying) over war zones.

“There needs to be an appropriate authority that stops airlines putting profit and opportunism ahead of risk for passengers.” Qantas says it has no plans to re-route.

“There is no suggestion that flying over Iraq is unsafe for commercial airlines, particularly given the cruising altitude that most, including Qantas, maintain,” the company said in a statement this week.

“We will continue to monitor the situation, with safety as our top priority.” Qantas said its cruising altitude over Iraq averaged between 38,000 to 41,000 feet.